I'll be heading to the educational forum on concealed carry in a couple of hours, and you can, too.

It's free and open to the public, at the YWCA facility at 4990 E. State St., and should be an interesting discussion.

I'm not quite sure if I agree that the forum is an attempt at gun-grabbing as the Illinois State Rifle Association posted on its Facebook page earlier today, but I guess I'll find out tonight.

A representative from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence is one of the panelists. The state rifle association calls this organization "a rabidly anti-gun organization that is working hard to take your guns away from you."

Hmmm. That's not at all how this forum was billed. I was told that this was going to be an educational forum on the legal and societal impact of the upcoming legalization of concealed carry, not an anti-concealed carry panel discussion. Like I said before, I guess we'll see.

And I guess I'll have a lot of company.

The state rifle association asked that as many gun owners as possible attend the event to save their guns. The association asked that gun owners wear state or national rifle association or IGOLD gear, to take notes and video tape the proceedings.

The association also urged gun owners who attend the meeting to take note of any attempts made by law enforcement officials to prevent them from participating in the panel discussion.

It also asked that if they see members of the media there that they are to approach them and them that they don't appreciate continued attacks on their gun rights.

The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Rockford and YWCA, starts at 6:30 p.m. and is supposed to run to 8 p.m.

As I was told last week, the forum is supposed to focus on the changes Illinois residents will start seeing when the law goes into effect in January, everything from what's allowed and what's not, when and where people may encounter armed residents, and legal questions already being posed.

Forum panelists will be Winnebago County State's Attorney Joe Bruscato, Mark Walsh of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and Paul Cain, clinical associate professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Moderator will be Dan Doyle, former Winnebago County State's Attorney and Rockford area judge.